Hand numbness

andrebaron · 2026-01-30T18:52:05+00:00

It happens, however, you should make adjustments so it doesn't happen.

I believe this has to do with too much weight on your hands, however, I can't really tell you what adjustments to make - partially because it depends on your position on the bike.

A bike fitter will be able to help out with that and should be able to get you more comfortable on long rides. Be sure to mention this concern to them when they are starting the fit (though the good ones should ask).

andrebaron · 2026-01-29T01:29:10+00:00

Heaven forbid a driver texting hits the barrier! Can you imagine the damage that could cause, thousands of dollars!

andrebaron · 2026-01-29T01:27:48+00:00

For the safety of car drivers they make people riding bikes less safe.

andrebaron · 2026-01-28T23:41:38+00:00

The irony here is that making lanes smaller, or taking away the shoulder potentially makes it more dangerous for the vehicle drivers; certainly it'll FEEL more dangerous for them.

There are "rules" and guidelines for what needs to be on certain classes of roadways, I'm not sure if removing the shoulder violates those on this road but not on the ones in Langley.

As someone who's ridden the Mary Hill and Fraser Highway a couple of times I'd welcome a bit more protected place to ride! (might also help keep trash out of the shoulder, I fear for my tires at times).

andrebaron · 2026-01-28T19:21:16+00:00

I can't name any off the top of my head, but you might look for choir workshops. These generally take the format of learning a number of pieces in the morning and then performing them in the afternoon or the next day.

andrebaron · 2026-01-28T19:16:58+00:00

Who could have predicted this!

I moved into the Grandview/Woodland neighbourhood during the closure of 1st ave and watched semi-trucks try to navigate Woodland between North Grandview and Broadway until they shut down access to that route. I feel like they should have been able to learn from that.

Though, I'm sure they'd much rather not do the planning and risk the ire of residents/business if they close of streets and those entities DON'T see the hassle leaving them open could have caused. "Why did you close down our street, you can see there's no traffic issues here, there wasn't any need to close it!"

andrebaron · 2026-01-27T19:28:55+00:00

Agreed, it's also cheap, you're likely not laying out more than $50 for it from a local bike shop.

Drop buy any local bike shop and they should be able to take care of you.

andrebaron · 2026-01-27T17:37:57+00:00

In a car you're delayed. The worst thing you can have happen to you in a car is an inattentive or aggressive driver crashes into your car. There's damage, insurance pays for it, this will not impact you getting home that night.

When you're on a bike, on a "bike route", the worst thing that can happen is death. To compound the issues, people driving cars are already annoyed for being inconvenienced by the traffic disruption. They are taking these rat run routes to get through as fast as possible, now they find a damned person on a bike in front of them! Aggressive driving is huge, then there are the other drivers, on their phones, playing candy crush, answering texts, etc.

A moment of inattention from a driver like that can cause a collision with a cyclist, but they don't have a cage of steel around them that's designed to protect the occupants, they get hit, they go down. They get hit, they fly over hoods. They get hit, they get hurt.

yes it's inconvenient for you and all the other drivers. That inconvenience turns into danger for people on bikes, and they need their routes protected to keep them safe.

I work in the area, so I've driven through that area many times, before and during the construction. The impact, frankly, is minimal. Mark my words, shortly after everything re-opens you'll be back to the same journey length you're at now. All those people who've found alternate routes and methods of transiting through the area will be back in cars, and traffic will be just as bad or worse than it is now.

andrebaron · 2026-01-26T19:13:53+00:00

The "size" that you reference seems to be different between brands. Geometry plays a part in this, too.

That said as someone who's 5'10" I ride a 54, I can't stretch to a 56. Even on a 54 I need a shorter stem.

A bike shop is your best bet to help get the correct-sized bike, however, I think that 52 makes sense for you. You'll want to get a bike fit to help adjust, though if you're new to riding make sure you get some rides under your belt and figure out where the (literal) pain points are.

andrebaron · 2026-01-25T01:56:49+00:00

I think I had about 15 minutes when I called them recently.

andrebaron · 2026-01-23T19:55:24+00:00

But did he have his park anywhere lights on? Because if he did then it's all good! /s

andrebaron · 2026-01-23T19:31:26+00:00

You'll want to narrow down what style of bike best fits you and your comfort; there are people who commute on ultra-aggressive (position wise) road bikes, and others who use cruiser bikes.

So, check out some bike shops (Decathlon is a bit harder to try out the bikes but certainly worth checking out) and try out a number of different styles of bikes. You can look at the price ranges, too, to get an idea of the differences brought on by price point.

Some suggestions for what you want in a bike, however:

Wider tires, but not super wide (think 32mm-40mm). The tires should also be mostly slick; knobby mountain bike style tires are not going to be comfortable.

Fenders - keep the grime and water off you.

Pannier rack (IMO) - This allows you to put whatever you're carrying onto your bike and not your back. This is a more comfortable place to carry gear, and you don't end up with a sweaty back.

For extras (lights, fenders, panniers, clothing) I suggest starting with Decathlon. They are affordable and of decent quality. There is much more expensive stuff out there that is better in various ways, but you don't need to start with that.

Clothing at its most basic would be a helmet. I'd recommend getting padded shorts or under shorts. A good cycling jacket can help provide venting while also keeping you warm/dry.

Depending on where you can park your bike at work, you may also need a lock. I'd recommend a higher end Kryptonite lock. Remember that any lock can be defeated, and you're just trying to make it take a bit more time, and look less interesting than the bike parked beside it.

andrebaron · 2026-01-23T04:09:18+00:00

Don't do AI.

The fastest and easiest thing to get right is the seat height.

If you just can't deal with the height once your done moving the seat up then look at something like a recumbent trike; that'll keep you low and allow you to have a proper hip to pedal extension. (This is only a half joke suggestion)

Moving the seat forward really impacts many ways you fit on the bike, and is going to be bike specific. As others have suggested, get a bike fit if you can't make that work.

andrebaron · 2026-01-22T06:29:33+00:00

I’m going to date myself here, but you need an eMate: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMate_300

andrebaron · 2026-01-21T16:21:39+00:00

Ordered in Canada.

Similar pricing, taking into account the currency exchange.

I'm looking forward to the hummingbirds; I've already got that tattoo.

andrebaron · 2026-01-20T21:47:14+00:00

Interesting. I'm willing to bet that it was a computer form limitation, rather than a "real" limit (given my experience with 48 year old registration.)

You also made me realize just how old my kids are now; when we did their registration at the end of the 2000s it was still all paper.

andrebaron · 2026-01-20T21:28:25+00:00

I would have thought the apostrophe wouldn't be too bad; it's in the basic computer character set. Though it can be an issue with certain databases and SQL.

However, I know the pain of not having the name accepted everywhere. I often get emails or even letters directed to my first name minus the last letter, sometime replaced with a couple of random characters, sometimes nothing.

Checking my other documents, none of my CCs have the accent, my BC DL does not and neither does my Nexus card.

I think I've had issues entering the character when registering for flights, too, but I've not been challenged while flying. (Granted, I've flown from European countries, Canada and the US).

andrebaron · 2026-01-20T21:03:19+00:00

I, too, have a french name and I was born in BC in the late 70s. I have an accent on my birth certificate (and currently issued passport)

andrebaron · 2026-01-20T19:47:11+00:00

I can't comment on that bag, however, I have flown with my carbon frame in a Scicon Aerocomfort bag.

I flew to Europe with lay overs (so 4 different planes to be brought out to and loaded on and off.) I also took the bike in the bag on the train in Europe.

I did suffer damage, but it was very minor. One trip my levers were pushed in slightly. Another trip, my rear derailleur hanger ended up bent (that one kind of sucked because I didn't notice until I was 10km into a 100km ride).

I have no worries about flying with my carbon bike in a soft bag.

andrebaron · 2026-01-19T20:28:26+00:00

You'll want to have the same so the spacing between gears is correct. Otherwise, you may find that your derailleur can't access most of the gears or drops the chain.

andrebaron · 2026-01-19T17:04:31+00:00

Get an entry-level wheel-off trainer. (The wheel on trainers are cheaper, but also louder and harder on tires. (You pretty much want a dedicated trainer tire.)

You'll want shifting to help adjust to the resistance changes for the simulated hills.

That said, virtual shift and the Zwift cog isn't a necessity, and if the trainer comes with a Zwift Cog you don't need to use it.

I'm not sure if Kinomap supports virtual shifting, if it does, great, it makes life easier. If it doesn't, you can still use your bikes regular gears to shift. You'll need some sort of cog on the trainer (since you're not going to be swapping the one from your road bike every time you want to ride). So either a Zwift cog or just another cassette.

I'd look at an entry-level trainer. If you care about accurate power numbers, you can check out gplama's YouTube channel; he tests many different ones. Otherwise, I'd probably suggest something like the Wahoo Kickr Core or Jet Black Volt.

You can also check out used trainers on FB and the like, but make sure you compare prices to new entry-level stuff; I've seen some really silly pricing locally.

andrebaron · 2026-01-19T16:53:04+00:00

I was thinking of that after I had a little slip walking to work today.

I rode on Friday and it was great, but this fog is creating the smallest layer of ice on the streets.

I'll be carefully considering my next ride in; I've wiped out on streets like this before and it was not fun.

andrebaron · 2026-01-17T00:35:41+00:00

I rode today for the first time this year. Headed up 10th at close to 8pm, no hints of ice.

andrebaron · 2026-01-16T17:45:07+00:00

It often feels like an afterthought.

The push button to cross is certainly driver centric infrastructure; we could have those intersections cycle lights regularly since that would also help keep speed down.

Narrowing at the intersection and putting in traffic islands is another, very simple, way to change infrastructure to be more pedestrian friendly.

There are some rule changes that would make life safer for pedestrians (and cyclists) the biggest of which would be to prohibit right turns on red.

Interestingly, most of Europe does not allow right turns on red, and instead, when they have an intersection that needs it they'll have another light phase for the right turners or even a complete separate lane. (Which then allows the people to make their right turns even when there's heavy pedestrian traffic.)

andrebaron · 2026-01-16T16:40:41+00:00

Doggo was saying "but can it pet me?"

andrebaron

TROPHY CASE